BROOCH

Roman copper-alloy brooch, possibly a variant of the Aesica type. Missing pin, spring, damaged catchplate, wings; much of it heavily corroded. The spring was probably held by a rear hook, of which only a stub survives. The wings have concave and rib mouldings. The main bow is a flattish plate, 2mm thick, circular in outline for the top half and fantailed for the lower half. On the upper half there is an empty circular setting which is held above the main bow on four legs which have curved cross mouldings and a groove along the edges and are attached at top of bow, mid bow and the edges of the circular part of the bow. The empty central setting is 1.6mm deep and 3mm in diameter. The lower bow appears to be plain except for a rib on each side at the top of the triangle. Length 30mm, surviving width 21mm.

No parallels found, but broadly related to the "crescent type Aesica". This brooch is included in Mackreth (2011: 46, no. 10001) as a rearhook Aesica type 2.b2, 'an extraordinary item'.